Harmonica playing cover



March 9, 1954 A, BAUNT 2,671,374

HARMONICA PLAYING COVER Filed Nov. 29, 1951 /7 fi -1mm z a 7 6 I INVENTOR. 36 3/ /?/2/fi027y5aZz'71Z ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 9, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARMONICA PLAYING COVER Anthony Balint, New York, N. Y.

Application November 29, 1951, Serial No. 258,878

2 Claims.

This invention relates to devices for helping beginners in playing harmonicas, and in particular a U-shaped spring clip cover having an extension with openings therethrough corresponding with the openings of a harmonica and having a slide for closing and opening the openings and also lugs providing closures for some of the openings.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a mouthpiece or cover adapted to be slidably positioned on a harmonica whereby a beginner may start by playing one note, then two notes, then three, four and gradually five notes which may be considered as the average number of notes covered by the mouth of a player and after which the device may be discarded.

In the conventional method of playing a harmonica the mouth of a player covers a plurality of notes and it is diflicult for a beginner to strike the exact note desired. For this reason it is diflicult to follow a scale and, therefore, it is diflicult to carry a tune. With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a cover in the form of a mouthpiece having means therein for blanking out all except one note whereby a beginner may play any note desired. The device also includes similar covers in which all except two, three, four and five notes are blanked out, whereby after mastering a cover for playing one note the different covers are used progressively.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide a device for assisting a beginner in playing a harmonica whereby the beginner may start bytplaying one, two, or any suitable number of no es.

Another object of the invention is to provide a beginners helper for a harmonica that may readily be applied to harmonicas of difierent sizes and types without permanently attaching the device to the harmonica and without changing parts thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved mouthpiece cover for a harmonica with which one or more notes may be played at the same time, which is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies a slider U-shape in cross section having spring arms positioned to engage opposite sides of a harmonica and a mouthpiece, also U-shaped in cross section extended from the slider and having spaced openings therein corresponding with the notes of the harmonica and also having means for blanking out some of the openings.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing a harmonica in an inverted position with the improved mouthpiece or cover on the under side thereof.

Figure 2 is a plan view illustrating the mouthpiece or cover with the harmonica omitted.

Figure 3 is a cross section through the cover taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section through the cover taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a detail illustrating a slide or gate for opening or closing openings through the cover. I

Figure 6 is a view looking upwardly toward the under side of the cap or'mouthpiece part of the cover with other parts omitted.

Figure 7 is a longitudinal section through the cover showing a lug blanking out one of the openings thereof.

Figure 8' is a similar section showing lugs blanking out two of the openingstherein. Figure 9 is also a similar section showing a further modification wherein all of the openings are blanked out by lugs except one opening in the center of the cap.

Figure 10 shows a further modification wherein three of the openings of the cap are blanked out. e

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts the improved beginners helper for playing harmonicas of this invention includes a cover [0 having spring clips I I and H at the sides, a cap I3 having a continuous bead l4 around the open end thereof by which the cap is attached to the cover 10, and a gate l5 having a projection providing a handle I6 at one end and having openings l1 extended therethrough and which are positioned to register with openings l8 extended through the cap I3 as shown in Figure 4.

In the design shown the base of the cover I0 is provided with an elongated channel l8 and the gate I5 is slidably mounted in the channel and resiliently held outwardly in the position shown in Figure 4 with a spring 19. One end of the spring is held against a lug 20 in the inner end of the channel and the opposite end extends into a slot 2| in the end of the gate l5. The gate is provided with an extended tongue 22 on which the projection or handle [6 is positloned.

The cap [3, which forms a mouthpiece, is provided with an end wall 23 in which openings 24 that register with the openings l1 and I8 are positioned and with the parts positioned as illustrated in Figure 4 the device is positioned on a harmonica, as indicated by the numeral 25, and the harmonica may be played in the conventional manner with the gate I5 actuated to regulateithe size of the .,openings.

With the vcap iormedi as illustrated in Figures 7, 8, 9 and 10 a cap 25, as illustrated in Figure 9 is provided with a single opening 21 and the openings at the sides are blanked out with lugs 28. By this means a mouthpiece is providediwith; a single opening and with this mouthpiece a beginner may play one note at a time, such as sounding the scale.

A similar cap 29 is provided in Figure 10,, wherein the end surface of the cap is formed with openings 30 and 3 I and the remaining openings are blanked out with lugs 32. By this means two notes may be played at a time.

In the design illustrated in Figure 8 a cap- 33 is illustrated and this cap is provided with lugs and 35 which blank outthe end openings pro- 1 first use the cover-having a cap withone-opening whereby one notemay be played at a time.

After mastering the scales with one notethe beginner changes to the cover having two openings-in which two-notes are-played at atime and aiter mastering thlsscalethe beginner continues with the cover shown in Figure 8 having: three openings and after-this stage theplayer progresses to the cover shown in-Figure 7 having four openings, and eventually progressing to the cover illustrated in- Figure-4= wherein five keys may-be-played at the same time and with use of the gate" I5' these openings may be regulated as desired.

After playing with the coverhavingfive openings the'player may discard the device and play "the harmonica directly with the-mouth--of the player covering as many openings as desired;

It will be understood that other modifications may be made in the design and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A playing device for use on a harmonica comprising a cover U-shaped in cross section having spring actuated sides for frictionally remining the device in nositionsona harmonica, a can a s 'ha e in rass .sectionlca ried by th cover, said cap having a plurality of openings corresponding with notes of a harmonica extended therethrough, a gate slidably mounted in the-cover and positioned to intercept the openins-sthrough the cap and a spring for retaining the gate in an extended position, said gate having: openings therethrough positioned to register with openings through the cap, and the sliding movement of said gate regulating the areas of the openings through the cap as well as blanking off some of the openings-in the-cap;

2-. In a beginners playing device foruse on a harmonica, the COmbiIIatlOh which com rises an elongated cover U-shape in cross section having spring actuated sides for frictionally retaining the device in position on a harmonica and having an elongated channel extended'through the base thereof, a cap also U-shaped in cr0ss1 section carried by thecover andextendedoutwardly therefrom, said cap having spaced 1 openings extendedtherethrcngh and said openings positioned to correspond with notes of a harmonica, and a gate slldably mounted in the-channel of the cover with a handle-projecting at one endand having a plurality ofopeningstherethrough' cor.- responding with the openings extended through said cap, resilient means for actuating the. gate in ane-direction and wherein the gate is adapted tobe manually actuated in the opposite direc. tion and'means for blanking off openingsofthe cap.

References- Gited: in the file. ofthis patent UNITED STA'I'ES'PATEN'I'S. 

